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3232Triplets and Dupletshttps://dinglemusic.com/2018/03/12/triplets-and-duplets/
https://dinglemusic.com/2018/03/12/triplets-and-duplets/#respondMon, 12 Mar 2018 14:50:06 +0000https://dinglemusic.com/?p=11239
My husband, who is a non-musician, was looking at the “triplets and duplets” section in my Grade 5 theory book the other day.
He observed that to his mind the standard notation is backwards – that a group of three quavers to be played in the time of two – a triplet – should have an italic 2 over the group of notes and that a group of two quavers to be played in the time of three – a ...

My husband, who is a non-musician, was looking at the “triplets and duplets” section in my Grade 5 theory book the other day.

He observed that to his mind the standard notation is backwards – that a group of three quavers to be played in the time of two – a triplet – should have an italic 2 over the group of notes and that a group of two quavers to be played in the time of three – a duplet – should have an italic 3 over the group of notes.

In other words, that the number should show the actual value of the group of notes in that time signature.

I have always taken the conventional notation for granted, but I think he’s got a point! We can see that there are three notes in the triplet – what we need to know is what they are worth – 2 of the same! Or, in the case of some Chopin or similar, 7 or more are worth 2 of the same…

Now I realise that the convention is not likely to change – but what do others out there think?

]]>https://dinglemusic.com/2018/03/12/triplets-and-duplets/feed/0Modulationhttps://dinglemusic.com/2017/03/02/modulation/
https://dinglemusic.com/2017/03/02/modulation/#respondThu, 02 Mar 2017 08:29:55 +0000http://dinglemusic.com/?p=11234That’s a technical term, that is.
For any non-musicians reading this, modulation is when a piece of music changes key.
Ah – that probably doesn’t help non-musicians… let’s put it another way.
A piece of music has a certain “feel” to it – if it’s in a major key, it generally has a kind of sunshiny, happy mood. If it then modulates – there’s that word again – to a minor key, it will generally feel as if the sun ...

For any non-musicians reading this, modulation is when a piece of music changes key.
Ah – that probably doesn’t help non-musicians… let’s put it another way.
A piece of music has a certain “feel” to it – if it’s in a major key, it generally has a kind of sunshiny, happy mood. If it then modulates – there’s that word again – to a minor key, it will generally feel as if the sun has gone behind a cloud – and then if it modulates back to the major, it’s as if the sun has come out again.

Anyway, enough of the technical stuff.
This post is about a modulation of a different kind.

dinglemusic is modulating. Not disappearing, not ceasing to publish – but the day-to-day distribution will no longer be done by Yours Truly.

There are two reasons for this.
The main one is that Chamberlain Music is now handling all of the distribution. They are very experienced in this field with a well-established Logistics team and can offer a far more efficient service than I can from home.

The other is that I’m not as young as I was and am moving towards complete retirement from teaching.
However, there’s plenty of life in the old girl yet… and whilst some of the lyrics in this are undoubtedly true (not least my reaction to interminable on-hold music only to find myself, at the end of the process, holding on to a now-dead line to a possibly non-existent call-centre) others aren’t yet.

So dinglemusic’s modulation will mean the sun will come out from behind the clouds in every sense. Customers will receive an even more efficient service, and I will get to spend more time enjoying my family, gardening, sailing, making music and writing.

I very much hope to find more time to post on this blog – helpful material regarding the teaching of music theory and also more light-hearted musings on the ways of the world from a musician’s perspective.
So Watch This Space!

]]>https://dinglemusic.com/2017/03/02/modulation/feed/0Music in Naturehttps://dinglemusic.com/2015/06/02/music-in-nature/
https://dinglemusic.com/2015/06/02/music-in-nature/#respondTue, 02 Jun 2015 11:21:40 +0000http://77.104.172.134/~andre103/dinglemusic.com/?p=11185Welcome to the dinglemusic blog.
I will be posting all kinds of things here, ranging from theory hints and tips to fascinating videos and stories which might be of interest to musicians – or indeed to anyone who enjoys listening to sounds.

I will be posting all kinds of things here, ranging from theory hints and tips to fascinating videos and stories which might be of interest to musicians – or indeed to anyone who enjoys listening to sounds.

]]>https://dinglemusic.com/2015/06/02/music-in-nature/feed/0How to listen to music – Daniel Barenboimhttps://dinglemusic.com/2014/04/30/how-to-listen-to-music-daniel-barenboim/
https://dinglemusic.com/2014/04/30/how-to-listen-to-music-daniel-barenboim/#respondWed, 30 Apr 2014 11:21:24 +0000http://77.104.172.134/~andre103/dinglemusic.com/?p=11183Daniel Barenboim launches a new digital-only label
PERAL MUSIC will document Daniel Barenboim’s work as conductor, pianist and chamber musician
‘I want to try and look at the future. I want to really get myself into the mentality of the digital world.’ Daniel Barenboim

]]>https://dinglemusic.com/2014/04/30/how-to-listen-to-music-daniel-barenboim/feed/0Music is a Good Thinghttps://dinglemusic.com/2012/12/03/music-is-a-good-thing/
https://dinglemusic.com/2012/12/03/music-is-a-good-thing/#respondMon, 03 Dec 2012 11:18:38 +0000http://77.104.172.134/~andre103/dinglemusic.com/?p=11181Music is a good thing. But what we did not know until we started with the research for this piece: Music is also a pretty damn complex thing. This experimental animation is about the attempt to understand all the parts and bits of it. Have a look. You might agree with our conclusion!

]]>Music is a good thing. But what we did not know until we started with the research for this piece: Music is also a pretty damn complex thing. This experimental animation is about the attempt to understand all the parts and bits of it. Have a look. You might agree with our conclusion!

]]>https://dinglemusic.com/2012/12/03/music-is-a-good-thing/feed/0Review by Paul Dowbekin in the MMA Journal Ensemble pub. 2008https://dinglemusic.com/2008/02/17/review-by-paul-dowbekin-in-the-mma-journal-ensemble-pub-2008/
https://dinglemusic.com/2008/02/17/review-by-paul-dowbekin-in-the-mma-journal-ensemble-pub-2008/#respondSun, 17 Feb 2008 11:17:51 +0000http://77.104.172.134/~andre103/dinglemusic.com/?p=11179Grade 5 Theory is one of those things that just won’t go away. I know that I begin each academic year with a subconscious dread of making a start on the inevitable theory sessions. Some pupils take to it like a duck to water and they can be a real joy to teach. They absorb the intricacies of the subject, beginning to understand why the music they play is written like it is, beginning to see why some pieces feel ...

]]>Grade 5 Theory is one of those things that just won’t go away. I know that I begin each academic year with a subconscious dread of making a start on the inevitable theory sessions. Some pupils take to it like a duck to water and they can be a real joy to teach. They absorb the intricacies of the subject, beginning to understand why the music they play is written like it is, beginning to see why some pieces feel better than others. Yes, a real joy! But they are the exception. For most children, Grade 5 Theory conjures up a mixture of incomprehension and boredom in equal measure. To get them through it I find myself looking for all sorts of ways of sugaring the pill – finding ingenious examples of enharmonic changes, finding all the Ic-V-I progressions in their pieces. And then starting all over again next year, because I can’t quite find the sheets I used last year, although I know they are on my desk somewhere… .

I know that there are many publications already available, from the Associated Board themselves as well as from other sources, so do we need another? Why not just grit our teeth and carry on as before? Well, I have used Dorothy Dingle’s book for two sessions now, and I really recommend that you consider it.

I have known Dorothy for many years. She was a member of the department at Cheam Hawtreys when I was Director of Music there in the ‘90s, and indeed she is still there. I know that she is both thorough and highly organised and I was not the slightest bit surprised to find that her book is the same.

It is divided into 13 units, each devoted to a different aspect of the exam: pitch, scales, intervals, time signatures, etc. Each unit has a detailed explanation of what is covered, followed by copious examples, hints and exercises.
Although this is a thick volume, my pupils have found it encouraging simply because of the detail that is included. Much of what they come across they already know – how satisfying to hear them say ‘yes, I understand that already’ and how pleasant it is to show them how much work they have already covered. And yet if they want to go over things, just to refresh the areas they already know, it is all there, in black and white, and in language that they can follow. How refreshing it is when someone says they have forgotten about chords, to get them to read pages 129/131 (for example) and then come back to discuss it. Invariably they return having remembered.

This book will not replace your expertise – which book could do that? – but it will support your lessons and give pupils more than enough back-up material to consolidate what you teach and the confidence to approach the exam in a positive way. Look at the book and use it – you won’t regret it.

]]>https://dinglemusic.com/2008/02/17/review-by-paul-dowbekin-in-the-mma-journal-ensemble-pub-2008/feed/0Review by Frances Taylor in Music Teacher Magazine pub. February 2008https://dinglemusic.com/2008/02/06/review-by-frances-taylor-in-music-teacher-magazine-pub-february-2008/
https://dinglemusic.com/2008/02/06/review-by-frances-taylor-in-music-teacher-magazine-pub-february-2008/#respondWed, 06 Feb 2008 11:16:15 +0000http://77.104.172.134/~andre103/dinglemusic.com/?p=11175“Music Theory is a subject which seems to engender strong feelings a bit like Marmite – you either love it or hate it. On the whole music pupils tend to view theory as a bit of a chore, something which is necessary but not quite so much fun as the practical music making. Unfortunately you can only get so far without some serious theoretical knowledge and as a self confessed lover of theory I am delighted to see a ...

]]>“Music Theory is a subject which seems to engender strong feelings a bit like Marmite – you either love it or hate it. On the whole music pupils tend to view theory as a bit of a chore, something which is necessary but not quite so much fun as the practical music making. Unfortunately you can only get so far without some serious theoretical knowledge and as a self confessed lover of theory I am delighted to see a new publication to lighten the burden that we theory teachers face.

Pass Grade 5 Theory is both comprehensive and innovative. It covers all of the knowledge required to pass the ABRSM Grade 5 Theory exam, although its author, Dorothy Dingle, does not write under the auspices of this examining board. Rather she is a music teacher working in schools and dealing with the very practical issue of having to get pupils through the Grade 5 Theory exam at short notice so that they can continue with higher grade practical exams on various instruments, as well as providing the more in-depth theory knowledge required for GCSE Music, A-level Music or A-level Music Technology.

Dingle’s book began as a series of explanatory leaflets and worksheets prepared for Years 6-8 in the schools in which she teaches and this is one of the great strengths of her fully developed scheme of work which makes up this book. It becomes immediately apparent that Dingle understands her subject thoroughly and how to make it both accessible and understood. I suspect that this is a result in part of going through the process of teaching her material, allowing Dingle the opportunity to craft and refine her work until it evolved into the final book.

The book is divided into 13 units, each of which covers basic concepts such as Pitch, Scales and Key Signatures, Intervals, Note-lengths and Rests, Time Signatures and so on. However, this crash course in theory, unlike other work-books available which treat each grade separately, deals with each subject in entirety. For example, in Unit 1 instead of introducing just the notes of the treble and bass clefs, pitch is taught for every clef: treble, bass, alto and tenor clef respectively. And yet no previous knowledge is assumed. Everything is explained simply ad concisely. The work unfolds naturally to include ledger lines and shared notes which have the same pitch but may be written differently on different staves. Suddenly quite difficult concepts seem logical and straightforward.

In the second unit, Scales and Keys, the order of the sharps is remembered with the first letter of each word in the sentence Father Christmas Gave Dad An Electric Blanket. Similarly the order of the flats is remembered using the sentence Blanket Explodes And Dad Gets Cold Feet. I am not sure that either of these sentences sit comfortably with me but this is a small inconsequential detail. I am probably too attached to the traditional Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle and teachers are at liberty to invent their own mnemonic sentences. What is important is that this important tool for remembering is given prominence. The advice to make sure that pupils really understand key signatures is highly commendable since as is pointed out ‘over 50% of the marks given in the Grade 5 theory exam depend on a thorough understanding of key signatures’ – something quite often overlooked by teachers and pupils alike.

In this particularly important section on scales and keys all the pitfalls are noted. For instance, when writing a scale without a key signature a number of points needing to be checked are outlined, such as using a sensible starting note, leaving room for accidentals to be added later and remembering that if a starting note uses a sharp or flat then so will the final note. All basic things, I know, but theory teachers are only too well aware that lack of attention to detail makes the difference between answers being marked correct or incorrect.

Intervals are another topic which is treated with clarity. In the first counting exercise no clefs are used as they are unnecessary and the uncluttered page is a help to focusing on the task. Pupils are reminded to include the line or space on which the lower note is written and the line or space on which the higher note is written when they count each interval number (second, third etc). One has the sense that the pupil is constantly being supported and encouraged through each step. I particularly found helpful the diagrams with boxes showing a summary of the relationships between intervals. For instance, one box asks if an interval is one semitone larger than the one you would expect to find in the major scale which starts on the lower note of the interval. If it is then you follow the arrows to the smaller boxes which give a range of options, on this occasion, all are augmented.

Here as everywhere throughout the book the work is well set out with plenty of space for working out and drawing keyboards to check the relationship between notes. Periodically there are Remember signs for things which need gentle reminders, Notice signs for things which require extra attention and To Lean signs for things which must be memorised.

The crowning jewel of Pass Grade 5 Theory is the final section, General Questions. Like the rest of this book it is so much more than it seems and so worthy of praise. The instruments of the orchestra are listed together with their families and the clefs they use. in addition there is a list of performance directions which apply to certain instruments. Keyboard instruments and voices are also touched upon as are ornaments. It is brilliant having all this information in one publication. The whole book is in fact a fantastic resource and should help a lot more pupils to both understand and enjoy theory as well as pass that dreaded exam without tears!